Tomato and Dates Chutney (टमाटर और खजूर की चटनी) - From Bong Mom

Hello friends,

Here is a delicious chutney associated with so many childhood fond memories. For our birthdays (me and my sisters), mom would always make poori (fried fluffy bread), ghugani (a dry yellow peas curry) and this tomato and dates chutney (sweet in taste). This was such a standard menu for our birthdays and we used to so eagerly wait for it the whole year.

This chutney is also associated with our memories of having bhoger khichuri (Khichdi, a lentil rice preparation prepared specifically for offering) during Durga Pujo days. This chutney is served along with begun bhaja (deep fried eggplan slices) and some mix veggie curry, all with no onion/garlic. And, weird thing is that this simple menu of these festive days tastes the most delicious. I mean whatever and however you may try this at home, it would never taste the same delicious. We used to get 2 haandis (eathern pots) full of bhog for us every day of 5 days of Durga Pujo from the pendal (the tent where the Goddess Durga's idol is kept). What fond memoies, I miss them. But, guess what I am visiting India during this very same Durga Pujo season and I am planning to enjoy it to the fullest after a lot of years :)

OK, now, after that nonmagical drive down the memory lanes, here is the chutney I had bookmarked a while back. I tried it from who other than my Bong blogger Friend, Sandeepa, famously known as Bong Mom to many of us. I was born in Chittaranjan, West Bengal (I am not a Bong btw, lol thought I will clarify) and spent half my life in Jamshedpur, so have a lot of Bengali influence in the cuisine I prepare. Anyways, what I was saying is, whenever I visit Sandeepa's blog and check her Bengali specific recipes, I can so relate it to a memory from my growing up times. She has an amazing collection of non Bong recipes as well. Please do check her blog for Tomato and Dates Chutney (टमाटर और खजूर की चटनी) recipe. I did add few bay leaves as my mom used to and I didn't have cranberries, so didn't use them.

I am linking it to Aipi and My Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday event and Hearth and Soul Blog Hop - Volume 17

That's all for now. Take care till next post.